The water volume of the Yangtze River is not as abundant as before. There is no longer the thrilling roar and turbulent waves of the past. It is as if the river has transformed from a young girl with abundant primitive power into a gentle and gracious young woman, flowing gracefully and quietly.
Zhu Ping'an followed the crowd under the watchful eyes of the officials, and walked from the passenger ship along the bamboo raft that had been set up to the riverside. The morning breeze was slightly cool, and brought with it the fishy smell of the river water.
There were many people on the river bank, men, women, old and young, pushing and shoving each other, with their necks stretched out, pointing and talking, and those who didn't know would think that a treasure was born in the Yangtze River. If there were no police officers on the scene to maintain order, I'm afraid many of the onlookers would have been squeezed into the Yangtze River.
There were many good swimmers in the river, carrying fishing nets and moving back and forth in the river under the command of several officials to pull the nets.
"My husband, where is my husband? Where are you..."
By the Yangtze River, there was a young woman wearing a light pink brocade dress and a white jade hairpin with plum blossoms. She was lying on the bank of the river crying with tears in her eyes and a haggard face. Behind her was a maid, kneeling with her, with the same sad expression on her face.
There were several sisters-in-law around the young woman who were trying to comfort and console her, fearing that she would become depressed and jump into the Yangtze River.
Standing by the Yangtze River was a county magistrate, who looked to be in his thirties or nearly forty years old, directing the yamen runners and officials in an orderly manner.
The county magistrate had a thin face and wore a green official uniform with a mandarin duck painted on it. However, there were two patches on the uniform, and it was obvious that the patches were made by a woman with fine stitching. The uniform was a little faded from being starched and washed, but the whole person was neatly dressed and spotless.
At this moment, the magistrate was looking at the river with a slightly frown on his face, touching his chin with one hand as if thinking about something. He stood straight, like a green pine tree.
"What are you doing? Why are you asking us to get off the boat? We have urgent matters to attend to."
"That's right, these officials don't care about the lives of ordinary people at all!"
When we got off the boat and walked to the riverside, many people in the crowd were cursing and were very resentful. Everyone was in a hurry to get on with their journey, and now they were stranded by the river. How could they not be resentful
"Hush, keep your voice down. You're risking your life. If anyone hears you, you'll get a beating." Someone in the crowd looked worriedly at the county magistrate and the officers with knives, guns, sticks and clubs by the river, and quickly reminded everyone.
Everyone was still in awe of the county magistrate and the officials. When reminded by people nearby, they glanced at the county magistrate and the officials by the river with resentment, closed their mouths, and expressed their dissatisfaction with their eyes only.
"When can we leave? I'm in a hurry to go to Yingtian Prefecture to take my father to see a doctor. I can delay, but my father can't." A young man in the crowd who was supporting an old man burst into tears in anxiety.
"Well, let the old man hold on a little longer."
"Wait a minute, if you offend the officials, you may lose your life, let alone see a doctor." Everyone comforted him with sympathy.
"I still have to go to Yingtian Prefecture to take the exam. If I don't leave now, my ten years of study will be in vain." There was a man dressed as a scholar, carrying a bag, standing on tiptoe looking forward, with an anxious expression.
"I received news that my wife is about to give birth, I have to rush back." A man who was about to become a father was so anxious that he almost jumped into the water and swam back home.
For a time, the crowd was outraged.
Zhu Ping'an walked among the crowd and could clearly feel everyone's anxious emotions. Although the noise became quieter as they got closer to the river, their anxious emotions became more and more intense.
Let's see what happened and try to set sail earlier, at least to treat them differently. After all, some people on the boat are really in a hurry.
So Zhu Ping'an walked a little faster and gradually came to the front of the crowd.
"Everyone, please stand aside. We will let you sail after we finish investigating the case. Mr. Zhang from Chun'an County went to Yingtian to purchase goods this morning. He might have been killed here. Passing ships and people nearby are all suspects. Please cooperate with our investigation. We will let you go after the investigation."
An officer carefully looked at the people getting off the boat and explained the whole story to everyone in a loud voice.
"If there really was a murder, it would have happened before daybreak. Our ship would still be far away from here at that time. How come we are all suspects?"
"That's right. We were still floating on the river at that time, a million miles away from here. How could it be us?"
"Don't wrongly accuse us good people."
After hearing the words of the officer, the people who got off the boat became even more agitated. How could they become murder suspects just for being on a boat? People couldn't understand it, especially after knowing the approximate time of the crime. They felt that they were more wronged than Dou E.
"quiet!"
The officer slammed the food in his hand against the side of the boat, making a crisp metallic sound, and shouted loudly.
After hearing the officer's shout and looking at his uniform and the weapon in his hand, although people were unwilling, they could only shut their mouths. How could ordinary people dare to confront an official
"The murderer may have hidden in the water after committing the crime and sneaked on board your boat when it arrived, blending in with you; or there may be an accomplice among you... Anyone passing through here is a suspect."
"We are trying to salvage the bodies in the river, and we have intercepted the fishing nets downstream to prevent them from being washed downstream. All passing ships are not allowed to proceed until the bodies are salvaged."
The officer gave further explanation and then stopped caring about the matter. He told the officers to keep an eye on the people getting off the boat and strode towards another boat.
In addition to Zhu Ping'an and his crew, two other ships were also stopped from landing. They were also very angry and dissatisfied with the government's actions.
"Move aside. I am the fifth-rank magistrate of Hangzhou Prefecture. I want you to come and see me. If you delay my work, who can bear the blame?"
Suddenly, an angry voice came from not far away. The accompanying subordinate pushed the official without hesitation. The man ordered the official to call the magistrate on the riverside to come over for a reply. It seemed that he was also very dissatisfied with the forced docking of the ship.
"Excuse me, sir, do you have any proof with you? We can then report this to the county magistrate." The officer asked cautiously.
"Open your eyes wide!" The Tongzhi took out an official certificate from his arms, snorted and showed it.
"I deserve to die for offending you, sir. Please forgive me." After seeing this, the officer knelt down immediately.
"Go and call your county magistrate." The Hangzhou prefectural governor tossed his sleeves and said, "Hurry up and clear the river so that I can move forward."
Soon, the magistrate who had just been standing by the river came over with several minor clerks. The clerks who accompanied him knelt on the ground to pay their respects to the co-magistrate of Hangzhou Prefecture. Only the magistrate bowed slightly and said, "Greetings, sir."
The clerks on both sides knelt down, and only the magistrate stood there, like a "mountain" shaped pen holder.
"Why do you stand like a pine tree when you see me?" The Hangzhou prefectural governor mocked the magistrate for not bowing to him.
"If I were in the county government, I would follow the official etiquette, but this is not the county government, and a murder has occurred here. I have duties to attend to and cannot perform formalities." The county magistrate had a serious expression on his face, not intimidated by the authority of the co-magistrate who was four levels higher than him. He was as calm as water without a ripple. (To be continued.)--( )